I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, is directed towards a modular telephone plug type of electrical connector.
II. Description of Related Art
In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,715, I describe a standard modular plug of the type commonly used in both telephone equipment and other cable interconnect applications. My earlier ""715 patent is directed towards a thin, flexible substrate that is positioned within the plug which includes at least one conductive path positioned on the substrate adjacent to one or more of the insulated conductors terminated by the plug. An insulation-piercing contact terminal pierces a segment of the path on the substrate, as well as one of the insulated conductors, to provide electrical connections thereto.
In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 7 of the ""715 patent, there is described a U-shaped conductive path 172 that includes a longitudinal segment positioned under one insulated conductor, another longitudinal segment positioned under another insulated conductor, and a transverse segment connecting the two longitudinal segments. I teach that an electrical or electronic component 186 may be included in the transverse segment, and that such component may be an active device (e.g., a transistor, integrated circuit, microprocessor, etc.) or a passive device (e.g., resistor, etc.). It is disclosed in column 9 between lines 9 and 45 that a signal from one contact terminal 156 must travel through the electrical component 186 before reaching the other contact terminal 166. Each of the contact terminals pierce a respective one of the longitudinal segments and its associated insulated conductor.
While the above-described configuration is useful, I have found it to be quite limited in that each of the relevant contact terminals terminate both the insulated conductors and the conductive paths of the printed circuit, such that the electrical component 186 can only indirectly alter or filter the signal. If, for example, electrical signals appear on both of the insulated conductors 138 and 148 that are terminated by the respective contact terminals 156 and 166, electrical component 186 will act on both such signals simultaneously. Further, the precise manner in which component 186 acts on such signals is somewhat unpredictable, and it depends on the signals themselves and their relationship to each other at any given point in time.
It may therefore be appreciated that it would be highly desirable if an arrangement could be devised whereby alteration of the signal appearing on an insulated conductor in the plug could be more carefully and precisely controlled. It is towards this end that the present invention is advanced.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved electrical connector which utilizes a printed substrate in such a manner so as to more accurately and precisely control the alteration of a signal received by the cable terminated in the connector.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved version of a modular electrical plug having a conductive path over that described in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,715.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel and unique electrical connector which incorporates a flexible substrate having a printed circuit pattern and electrical components thereon, in such a manner so as to achieve more precise signal modification in a predetermined manner.
The foregoing and other objects are achieved in accordance with one aspect of the present invention through the provision of an electrical connector, which comprises a dielectric housing, a plurality of insulated conductors positioned in the housing, and a thin flexible substrate positioned in the housing adjacent to the insulated conductors and having a plurality of pairs of electrically conductive sectors thereon. There is further provided insulation-piercing contact terminal means positioned in the housing for making electrical contact with at least one of the insulated conductors and at least one of the pairs of segments and for permitting an electrical connection to be made thereto externally of the housing.
In accordance with more specific aspects of the present invention, the thin, flexible substrate further includes a plurality of electrical components, each of which is connected between a pair of electrically conductive segments so as to modify the electrical signals passing therethrough.
In accordance with more specific aspects of the present invention, the insulation-piercing contact terminal means comprises first and second substantially planar contact terminals positioned in the housing in substantially the same plane. Each of the plurality of pairs of electrically conductive segments includes first and second discrete segments, the first contact terminal making electrical contact with one of the insulated conductors and the first discrete segment, the second contact terminal making electrical contact with the second discrete segment while providing an electrical connection thereto externally of the housing.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector which comprises a dielectric housing, a plurality of insulated conductors positioned in the housing, a first plurality of contact terminal means positioned in the housing for piercing the insulation of the plurality of insulated conductors in order to make electrical contact therewith, and a second plurality of contact terminal means positioned in the housing for not piercing the insulation of any of the plurality of insulated conductors but for permitting an electrical connection to be made thereto externally of the housing.
In accordance with more specific aspects of the present invention, the contact terminal means, each comprised of substantially planar, electrically conductive contact terminals, have tangs at the lower end thereof for enabling insulated conductors to be pierced, and a spring-contact mateable surface at the other end thereof for enabling contact portions of a mating connector to be coupled thereto. The first plurality of contact terminal means are aligned in a first row, and the second plurality of contact terminal means are aligned in a second row, the first and second rows being substantially parallel to each other. One of the first plurality of contact terminal means is in substantially the same plane with one of the second plurality of contact terminal means.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, the contact terminals of the first and second Plurality of contact terminal means are positioned in aligned pairs consisting of one contact terminal from the first plurality and one contact terminal from the second plurality, each of the aligned pairs of contact terminals being positioned in substantially the same plane.
In accordance with yet another aspect of this invention, means are provided in the housing for electrically connecting the first and second plurality of contact terminal means, such means comprising substrate means positioned in the housing and having electrically conductive path means positioned thereon. The path means is more particularly adapted to be pierced by the first and second plurality of contact terminal means. More particularly, the path means comprises first and second sets of electrically conductive paths, the first set of paths adapted to be pierced by the first plurality of contact terminal means, the second set of paths adapted to be pierced by the second plurality of contact terminal means.
The substrate means may further include a plurality of first electrical components positioned thereon and coupled to the first and second sets of electrically conductive paths. Further, there may be provided a second electrical component coupled between one of the paths of the first set and one of the paths of the second set. The first and second components may be connected in series.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector which comprises a dielectric housing, electrical conductor means positioned in the housing, substrate means positioned in the housing having electrically conductive path means and electrical component means positioned thereon, first means for electrically coupling the electrical conductor means and the path means, and second means, distinct and separate from the first means, for electrically coupling the path means to an external contact of a mating connector. More particularly, the electrical conductor means provides a first signal which is electrically coupled by the first means through the path means and the component means, the component means including modifying means from the first signal to produce a second signal which is electrically coupled by the second means to the external contact of a mating connector.
In accordance with more specific aspects of this invention, the path means includes first and second electrically conductive paths, the electrical component being connected in series between the first and second electrically conductive paths. Further, the electrical conductor means preferably comprises an insulated conductor, while the first means comprises a first contact terminal having tangs for piercing the insulation of the insulated conductor and the first electrically conductive path. Furthermore, the second means comprises a second contact terminal having tangs for piercing the second electrically conductive path on the substrate means. The second contact terminal does not pierce the insulation of the insulated conductor.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector which comprises a dielectric housing, an insulate conductor positioned in the housing, substrate means positioned in the housing having first and second discrete electrically conductive paths positioned thereon, electrical components connected between the first and second paths, first electrically conductive terminal means in the housing for piercing the insulated conductor and the first path, and second electrically conductive contact terminal means positioned in the housing for piercing the second path and for permitting an electrical connection to be made thereto externally of the housing. The first and second electrically conductive contact terminal means preferably comprise first and second pluralities of substantially planar contact terminals, each of the contact terminals having tangs at the lower ends thereof capable of piercing the insulation of the conductor. The first and second pluralities of contact terminals are preferably positioned in two adjacent, substantially parallel rows, respectively.